Which Auguste Rodin sculpture was inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy?

Auguste Rodin’s The Gates of Hell was inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy.

The French government commissioned The Gates of Hell in 1880 for a planned decorative-arts museum in Paris. Rodin based the monumental project on Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, especially the imagery of the Inferno. Although the museum was never built as planned, Rodin continued developing the work for much of his career.

The sculpture was conceived as a pair of bronze doors covered with twisting figures, dramatic groups, and symbolic scenes. Several independent works later emerged from designs associated with it, including The Thinker, The Kiss, and The Three Shades. Their connection to the doors explains why some famous Rodin sculptures exist in versions separate from the original project.

The Gates of Hell was not completed and installed during Rodin’s lifetime. A bronze cast was made after his death, and versions are now held by major museums in several countries.